Factories, warehouses, and other facilities typically employ various types of machines for the manufacture or distribution of products. Because such machinery generally includes parts in motion, vibrations are generated from an individual machine and transmitted to the machine housing. Excessive vibration or vibrational modes of a particular character may indicate an unhealthy machine that may be in need of repair. Thus, it is common to monitor the vibration of a machine to prevent possible damage.
In order to determine the magnitude and nature of the vibration, transducers may be attached to, or placed in contact with, the machine housing so as to monitor the vibration. Subsequent analysis of the vibrational information determined by the transducers may provide valuable diagnostic data relating to the health of the monitored machinery. However, to monitor all machines, a transducer must be attached at every location in which monitoring of the vibration is desired. The health of the individual transducer also must be further monitored to ensure that the transducer is properly operating. In a facility employing thousands of machines, the purchase, installation, maintenance, and repair of thousands of transducers can become excessively expensive.
Alternatively, portable data collectors (PDC's) may be used to monitor the health of the monitored machinery. The PDC's are mobile devices that include a transducer and recording means to monitor the health of the machines. The PDC is transported to a machine and the transducer is placed in contact with the housing of the machine. The PDC can then record the vibrations of the housing. These recordings are subsequently analyzed in an attempt to assess the health of the machine. Operators must personally visit each machine and operate the PDC to record the vibrational information. The PDC operator may, therefore, spend an exorbitant amount of time monitoring the machines.
These current methods of monitoring the health of machines generally are expensive and time consuming. Often, a machine is in good health and does not require an extensive diagnostic check up. On the contrary, a failing machine may require more frequent data analyses. Thus, significant resources may be wasted. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system and method for efficient remote monitoring of the vibrational health of a machine.